It is well known that Dmitry Medvedev is a protege of Vladimir Putin. Less well known is the circle that Medvedev has begun to build around himself. Given Medvedev's age - he will be 42 come the presidential election - he represents effectively the next generation of politicians from Putin. And so many of the people Medvedev is gathering around him are likely to be on the Russian political scene for many years to come.
Key Figures in the Medvedev team
Anton Ivanov: since early 2005, Chairman of the Supreme Arbitrazh Court (see Arbitrazh courts: the long road back from Yukos). With Medvedev, was one of the top scholars of the class of 1987 at the Law Faculty and (also like Medvedev) went on to post-graduate studies and to lecture in the Faculty. Has worked with Medvedev in Gazprom, where he was First Deputy Director General of Gazprom-Media.
Ilya Yeliseyev: another former lecturer from the Law Faculty out of the class of '87. For a time he worked in the law firm, Yegorov, Puginsky, Afanasyev and Partners (which defended the two Russian citizens charged in Qatar with the murder of the former Chechen President, Zelimkhan Yandarbiev). Later became Deputy Chairman of the Board of Gazprombank.
Konstantin Chuychenko: Head of the Legal Department of Gazprom and a member of the Executive Board. Another of the class of '87, but in contrast to Medvedev's move into private legal practice, he went on to work in the Prosecutor's Office and then the KGB.
Dmitry Vinichenko: Director of the Federal Court Bailiff Service. After graduation in '87 he made a successful career in the St Petersburg Prosecutor's Office, becoming the Chief Federal Inspector for St Petersburg in 2001 and in 2003, City Prosecutor. In 2004 he ran into problems with the then Prosecutor General, Vladimir Ustinov, which saw him moved - and promoted - later that year to the Court Bailiff Service, which falls under the Justice Ministry, then headed by Yury Chaika. Ironically, Ustinov and Chaika changed places in 2006 but it was an indication of the increase in Medvedev's authority and the diminished status of Ustinov that Ustinov has not been able to replace Vinichenko with his own man.
Alexander Konovalov: a protege of Medvedev through his relationship with Vinichenko, to whom he was Deputy City Prosecutor in St Petersburg. Another graduate of the St Petersburg law faculty (though in 1992), in February 2005 he was appointed Prosecutor of the Republic of Bashkortostan, and in November that year became Presidential Representative in the Volga Federal District.
Valeriya Adamova: another of the class of '87, since 2002 Ms Adamova has been Vice-President of Sibur, the gas processing and petrochemical subsidiary of Gazprom.
Mikhail Krotov: a graduate from '85, he taught in the law faculty with Medvedev and co-authored a textbook with him and Anton Ivanov, Civil Law. On Ivanov's recommendation, Krotov replaced Ivanov as First Deputy Director General of Gazprom-Media. In November 2005 (and apparently with the support of Medvedev) he was appointed Presidential Representative in the Constitutional Court.
Yelena Valyavina: after graduating from the law faculty in '88, in the first half of the 1990s Ms Valyavina worked on the Housing Committee of the Mayor's Office of St Petersburg, and in the latter part of the '90s was First Deputy to Anton Ivanov when he was Head of the St Petersburg Justice Department. Then continued to work with Ivanov, teaching in the Civil Law Faculty; and in 2006 followed Ivanov to the Supreme Arbitrazh Court, where she is his First Deputy.
Sergei Kazantsev: a teacher of Medvedev's in the law faculty in the '80s (and Valyavina's boss in the Housing Committee of the Mayor's Office of St Petersburg in the '90s), in 2002 Kazantsev was appointed a judge in the Constitutional Court.
Sergei Mavrin: another of Medvedev's teachers in the '80s (and a graduate of the faculty in 1977), Mavrin was appointed to the Constitutional Court in 2005.
Yury Petrov: another of Medvedev's teachers, in 2002 he went to work in the Russian Federal Property Fund, and was appointed temporary acting Chairman of the Fund in October 2004. He remains as temporary acting Chairman as the Fund was officially abolished in the spring of 2004, yet de facto still exists.
Olga Pavlova: a graduate of the Far Eastern University in Vladivostok, but studied for her doctorate in St Petersburg and then taught in the Civil Law Faculty in the '80s and '90s. Ms Pavlova worked in the Mayor's Office under Anatoly Sobchak, and spent some time as Deputy Head of the Economic Directorate of the Presidential Administration. Currently Head of the Property and Corporate Relations Department of Gazprom.
Igor Drozdov: a student of Medvedev's in the '90s, in 2004 he became Assistant to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade, German Gref. In 2005, he moved to head Anton Ivanov's staff in the Arbitrazh Court.
Yury Lyubimov: another of Medvedev's students, he is now an adviser to Gref on intellectual property rights.
Sergei Dubik: another lawyer, but a graduate of the Military Institute in Moscow. He was an adviser to Medvedev when he was First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, and became his assistant when Medvedev was appointed Head of the Presidential Administration. Since November 2005, he has been Head of the Presidential Directorate on State Service.
Nikolai Dubik: brother of Sergei, and also a lawyer, he was Deputy to Chuychenko in the Legal Department of Gazprom and in 2005 after Gazprom bought Sibneft he joined the Board of Directors of Sibneft and was appointed Deputy Head of the Legal Department of Sibneft (now Gazpromneft).
